Air-brake device.



E. U. MACK.

AIR BRAKE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED ]AN.9. 191s.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES A TTORNEYS v COLUMBIA FLANDGBAFH COuWASHINUTON. D. C

E. U. MACK.

AIR BRAKE DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.9, 1915.

1, 1 53,806. Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNE88E8 IN I/E/V TOR A41 M mzzwm 7' 4 "M E ATTORNEYS CDLUMBIA PLANOGBAPH 00-. WASHINGTON, D. C-

E. U. MACK.

AIR BRAKEIDEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED lAN.9, 1915.

1,153,806. PatentedSept. 14, 1915.

3 $HEETS-SHEET 3.

WWII/E8858: l/VI/EA/TOR COLUMBIA PLANOORAPN (IO-.WASHINGNN, D C.

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ERNEST U. MACK, .QF FLORENCE, SGUTH CAROLINA.

i .AIBr-BBAKE DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1%, 1915.

Application filed January 9,1915. Serial No. 1 ,331.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EnNnsT U. MACK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Florence, in the county of Florence and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air- Brake Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the air-brake systems on railways, and the object thereof is to provide means under the control of the engineer of a train for retainin the air pressure in the brake cylinders 01' the cars of the train while the auxiliary reservoirs thereunder are being re-charged, thereby securing greater safety in handling trains on grades, and also securing greater economy in the use of air and dispensing with the services of the train hands or brakemen for the purpose.

My invention is fully described in the fol lowing specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which like reference characters are used to designate like parts in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of a locomotive and one car of a train, broken away, with my invention shown thereon in a diagrammatic manner; Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, view of only such parts as constitute the basis of the invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through a conventional auxiliary reservoir to illustrate the operation of my device; and Fig. 4: is a modification of the train signal line air actuated piston mechanism shown in the preceding figures.

In Fig. 1 I have shown, fragmentarily, a locomotive cab 4: having the main reservoir 5 thereunder, and a car 6 having the auxiliary reservoir 7, brake cylinder 8, and triplevalve 9 thereunder, and also the train signal pipe 10 passing throughout the length of the train and having the usual couplers 11 between the units of said train; the trainline pipe 12 is connected with the triplevalve, as is also the pipe 13- and valve 14 of the particular car.

Beneath each carof the train I provide a casing 15 having a rod 16 guided therein and which rod carries threepistons 17, 1.8, and 19, dividing the easing into four compartments 20, 21, 22, and 23, the first of which is in communication with the train signal pipe 10 by means of a pipe 24:; the

second, 21, is in communication with the router air by means of ports 30 and the vent 30 these means of communication described obtain when the pistons are in their lowermost position shown in Flg, 2, and

into which position they are moved by means of a spring 31, this being the positions of the pistons when the auxiliary reservoirs are being re-charged and the pressure being retained in the brake inders.

Within the cab 4 is a three-way valve casing 32 having a valve 33 therein provided with a passage 3% adapted to connect the train signal pipe 10 with either of two pipes 35 and 36, both branches from the main reservoir pipe 37, the former through a reducing valve 38 and a safety-valve 39, and the latter through a reducing valve 450, the re ducing valve 88 and the safety-valve .39 be ing set for a pressure of thirty-five pounds and the valve 40 for forty-five pounds in the form shown, although this difference of pressure is merely for the purpose of de seription.

When the valve 33 is set in the position shown the pressure of thirty-five pounds is not suflici-ent to overcome the resistance of the spring 31 in the casing 15 under each car,

and the air from the triple-valve exhaust port 26 is confined within the compartment 22 thereof, these casings and pistons constituting the pressure retaining valves for the units of the train, and now being operative,

no air being permitted to escape therefrom under any train unit but, if desired, the trainman may release thisv pressure for any one train unit by opening the valve 14.

To return the parts to normal position, with the pistons in the positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the engineer throws the valve 33 to the opposite side whereby the main reservoir is connected with the train signal pipe with all of the pressure retaining valve casings 15 through the reducing valve 40 set at forty-five pounds pressure; this pressure is sufficient to overcome the resistance of the spring 31 and the pistons are moved into their alternate positions, thus placing the triple-valve exhaust pipe in communication with the ports and with the outer air, this occurring beneath each unit of the train, and the brake cylinders are thus exhausted of air, and the pistons therein may be returned to normal positions by their springs.

'l/Vhen the engineer, by means of the valve 38, changes the connection ofthe train signal pipe 10 from the higher pressure reducing valve to the lower pressure reducing valve 38, the safety-valve 39 reduces the air pressure in the train signal pipe very gradually through the restricted vent 39 in the safetyvalve, so preventing a false signal from the signal whistle.

It will thus be seen that I utilize the train signal pipe for producing the desired result on the air-brake system and without any interference at all with the latter, and that the engineer has the exhaust of air from the brake cylinders under control at all times,

and for every'unit of a train, and without calling upon the trainmen to release the brakes, and he may throv his brake valve, not shown, into position to release'the brakes and yet maintain the pressure in the brake cylinders while he is re-charging the auxiliary reservoirs. V

The vents 25, as will be understood, are to permit the escape of the air from the compartment 21 and also serve to prevent the leaking of air from the air-brake system to the signal system, and vice versa.

tion is also drawn to the gasket 17 on the piston 17 which makes a scaled or air-tight jointwhen the pistons are in their normal,

. or uppermost, positions.

In the structure shown in Fig. 4 the pis- I ton 19 is replaced by means of a cone valve also numbered 19 as the full equivalent thereof, and the piston 18 is dispensed with.

Airadmitted'to the under side of the piston 17 forces it upwardly, if the pressure is sufli ciently high to overcome the spring 31, to

move the valve out of its normal interposed position between the pipe 27 from the triple valve exhaust port and the exhaust ports30 of the casing 15. The operation of this form is identical with the form already described,

and the same reference characters have been what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is p V 1. The combination with the air-brake system of a railway train having a brake cylinder and an auxiliary reservoir under each unit in operative connection throughout the tram, of a trainsignal pipe, a low pressure reducing valve therein, a high pressure reducing valve therein, a valve adapted for communication with either reducing valve, and means operable bythe air pass ing through said high pressure valve for Attenvalve is placed in exhausting the air from said brake cylinders. I i p I 2. The combination with the air-brake system of a railway train having a brake cylinder and an auxiliary reservoir under 'each unit in operative connection throughout the train, of a train signal pipe, a: low

pressure reducing valve therein, a high pressure reducing valve therein, a valve'casing,

in constant communication with said brake cylinders, a piston n said casing ad]acent to the point of said communication, a supplemental piston, and ajrod connecting the same with said first named piston, said casmg being provided with exhaust ports adapted to be placed in communication with u said brake cylinder exhaust whensaid piston is moved from normal position by the air through said high pressure valve, to exhaust the air from said brake cylinders. Y

4. The combination with the air-brake system of. a railway train having a brake cylinderand an auxiliary reservoir under each unit n operative connection throughout thetrain, of a train signal pipe, a low pressure reducing valve therein, a high pres- 7 sure reducing valve therein, a casing in communication with said valve and with said brake cylinders, and provided with ex- 'haust ports adjacent to the point of communication with said brake cylinders, a piston normally arranged between the point of communication withrsaid brake cylinders and with said casing exhaust ports, a supplemental piston inoperative connection with said first named piston adapted to be actuated by the air through said high pressure reducing valve to move said first named piston beyond said exhaust ports, whereby said brake cylinders may be exhausted, and

means for returning said pistons to normal positions when said low pressure reducing communication with said casing. p 7 r 5. The combination with the air-brake.

i pressure reducing valve therein, a high pressure reducing valve therein, a valve adapted for communication with either -reducing valve, means operable by the air passing through said high pressure valve for exhausting the air from said brake cylinders, and a manually operable retaining valve interposed between said brake cylinders and said air-operated exhausting means.

6. The combination with the air-brake system of a railway train having a brake cylinder and an auxiliary reservoir under each unit in operative connection through out the train, of a train signal pipe, a low pressure reducing valve therein, a high pres sure reducing valve therein, a valve adapted for communication with either reducing valve, means for exhausting the air from said brake cylinders when said valve is placed in communication with said high pressure reducing valve, and means for preventing the exhaust of air from said brake cylinders when said valve is in communication with said low pressure reducing valve.

7. The combination with the air-brake system of a railway train having a brake Copies of cylinder and an auxiliary reservoir under each unit in operative connection through out the train, of a train signal pipe, a low pressure reducing valve therein, a high pressure reducing valve therein, a valve adapted for communication with either reducing valve, means operable when said valve is in communication with said high pressure reducing valve for exhausting the air from said brake cylinders, means operable when said valve is in communication with said low pressure reducing valve for preventing such exhaust, and means for preventing the leakage of air from said train signal pipe through said means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST U. MACK. WVitnesses:

J. W. HIOKs,

HELEN CARMAN.

this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

